The horse's hoof is composed of five major regions: the wall, the sole, the frog, the periople and the white line. The hoof grows as a result of cell division in the outer horn-producing cell layer of the sensitive structures of the hoof, namely the perioplic ring, the coronary band and the sensitive laminae. This process may be affected by many factors such as diet, stresses, injuries and diseases. In such cases, a distorted hoof is often produced. The hoof wall is of primary concern. It bears most of the horse's weight, is the most subject to wear and trauma and is the point of attachment of horseshoes, an invention designed to protect the hoof wall from rough terrain. Horseshoes have been employed for hundreds of years to help alleviate trauma to the horse's hooves, improve traction and to help heal damaged hooves.
The design and application of horse shoes requires the hands-on, personal attention of the farrier, previously known as a blacksmith. The farrier's job entails studying the hooves of a horse to be shod and selecting, adapting and even manufacturing horse shoes suitable to the individual horse. While there is substantial similarity in horse hooves, there are also many variations due to the factors mentioned above and simply due to genetic factors. After selecting and/or manufacturing suitable horse shoes, the farrier must safely install the horse shoes on the hooves of the horse. As horses tend to weigh 1000 lbs. or more and may have difficult personalities, the attachment of a horseshoe to the hoof of a horse without injury to the horse or the farrier is a task requiring considerable skill. Further complicating the work is the fact that the hoof must usually be trimmed to mate properly with the horseshoe and the shoe is typically attached with nails. If the nails are driven too deeply into the hoof, delicate capillaries may be injured and bleeding, discomfort and even infection may result.
Until recently, farriers were often trained using legs cut from dead horses. Recent legislation has severely limited such practices. The present invention addresses all of these problems in the training of farriers. The Applicant has developed a farrier training system that includes artificial horse legs and hooves upon which the apprentice farrier may practice to perfect his skill. The instant invention is a stand for this artificial horse leg that simulates the positioning and action of a live horse to make such practice more efficient and realistic.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2011/0203811, published for Williams et al., discloses support stand for supporting the leg and hoof of a horse includes a base member adapted for seating on a horizontal support surface, and a hoof receptacle including bottom, rear end, and side walls that cooperate to define an open topped hoof-receiving chamber that is open at its forward end. A vertical adjustment device serves to adjust the vertical position of the hoof receptacle relative to the base. The hoof receptacle is connected with the vertical adjustment device for pivotal displacement about a horizontal pivot axis parallel with the receptacle rear wall, and an angle adjustment device serves to adjust the angular orientation of the hoof receptacle relative to the vertical adjustment rod. Accordingly, the horse leg is held in a flexed, pre-set position by adjustment of the leg and hoof support.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,510,021, issued to Leonard is directed to a portable adjustable hoof stand in which the height of the hoof rest relative to the ground is adjustable during setup and in use. Hoof rest height adjustment is provided by a height adjustment means located between the hoof rest and the tapered base of the hoof stand. In one embodiment of the adjustable hoof support stand, the height adjustment member comprises a post and a tubular receiving member, the receiving member sized to slidably and telescopically receive the post. The post is provided with a series of holes there-through along its length. As the post's position is adjusted inside and relative to the tubular receiving member, at various positions holes in the post align with holes in the tubular receiving member and a locking pin may be inserted through the aligned holes to fix the position of the post in the receiving member. The holes are positioned frequently enough in close enough spacing to provide a multitude of selectable height adjustment options.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2006/0113090, published for DeCola et al. illustrates a hoof stand which includes a flattened tripod base and a generally vertical support which may be quickly changed from pillar to cradle, allowing a horse's hoof to be held as desired in the normal or inverted positions, as an aid in horseshoeing and hoof maintenance. Continuous height adjustment is provided by telescoping receiving members, which may be quickly clamped together and quickly released. Collapsibility is provided by removing a tubular segment or by retractable legs. A pad on the cradle and texture on the pillar provide increased functionality and safety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,905, issued to Keeler discloses an adjustable horse owner's and farrier's stand includes a plastic base having a large generally flat base and an upright portion upending from the base, and a hoof platform adjustably locked in the base. The hoof platform height may be adjusted continuously rather than incrementally for precise and accurate positioning of a hoof. One hoof platform includes a diverging U-shaped cradle, with a firm but cushioning, shock-absorbing material on its top side for holding the hoof and absorbing the concussion of nailing and hoof maintenance. Preferably, the firm but cushioning material is a flexible strap slung across the cradle to form a hoof-receiving sling spaced above the surface of the cradle. Interchangeable hoof platforms may be provided, such as an alternative platform with a flat surface to receive the bottom of a hoof. The plastic base, and the continuous adjustability of the height of the hoof platform provide a quiet, substantially non-metallic, and non-intimidating stand that does not frighten most horses. It is an objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus that simulates the postures necessary to properly hold the horse's leg for shoeing. It is a further objective to provide such a system that simulates the action of the tendons and muscles of a live horse as the horse's hoof is shod. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide such an apparatus that may be easily and conveniently mounted to a variety of work surfaces. It is yet a further objective to provide an apparatus that couples conveniently to the artificial horse legs of the Applicant's farrier training system. Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is durable and economical to produce.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,510,021, issued to Tyree discloses a hoof care stand for receiving the leg of an animal, preferably the front leg or rear leg of a horse, for care thereof. The hoof care stand has a two dimensionally curved leg receiving portion with padding on an inner surface thereof. The leg receiving portion is flexibly attached relative to a base using a flexible attaching member such as a spring. An attachment rod provides for vertical adjustment of the leg receiving portion relative to the base and is selectively held in place therein by an adjusting screw.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,562, issued to Hammonds discloses a hoof care stand for livestock having a triangular base formed with a semi-open juncture of two U-shaped rods which have been welded together at one side, and are spaced apart at the opposite side. As the legs extend upwardly from the foot elements, they cooperate to form a cradle-like opening into which the animal's hoof may be placed. The cradle is a simplistic structure which consists of a mouth-like elliptical opening with a single limiting element in the bottom of the cradle padded to ensure the animal's comfort. No openings exist in the stand, other than that offered by the cradle, which could trap the animal's hoof. Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved farrier's stand which is relatively lightweight and stable, offering additional feet for improved stability. The stand also provides a comfortable, non-restraining resting position for the animal during use and presents no traps which may be hazardous to the animal or farrier. Further, the stand has few parts which wear out during use, the exception being the padding of the cradle element.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.